Story Based/Definitive Ending Games

On Hold

Final Fantasy V – I’m going to wait until I clear out some of the games I’m in the midst of before picking this back up. I’ll still count this time in my Playing Duration, but I’m not going to include it in this update until I pick up the sticks again.

I was hoping to count this among my finished of 2017 (and if any list needed padding, it’s that one. I’m pretty sure I’m the sandbagger among my blogger buddies hehe), but alas it was not to be. I’m right at the end, too, in Bowser’s Kingdom, fighting the Broodals for (what I’m hoping is) the last time. I made an attempt, but sadly failed. I couldn’t figure out how to knock off the legs so that the final Broodal bubble is in the right spot for pecking (that…is a weird sentence). Of course there’s a shit ton of after game, er, afterwards, so I’ll have to figure out how I’m going to count that when I get to it.

I’ve been spending most of my time playing this (in fact I was up until 2:00 am last night, ugh). I’m on the third stratum and I’ve been able to open up the mastery skills. Each character can pick a mastery based on job title, and while some are no-brainers, others were equally useful and having one of each would make a nice balance. Luckily, the game gives you five mastery scrolls, which will let you bump any character under Level 20 to that point, which allows you to open up their mastery skills. As more fortune would have it, there were five job classes that would benefit from this, so I stayed up figuring that out and naming them. I want to collect materials for weapons before exploring the third stratum, which is called the Fetid Wasteland or something like that. Basically, it’s the undead part of the game.

Ongoing, Non-Story Based, and Demos Played

Android/Kindle

Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius – I’ve mostly been sticking with the “login every day to get my lapis rewards” commitment, and I’ve been stockpiling my rare ticket summons just in case…well, you know.

Mm…

I can’t imagine they’d have Cloud and not eventually have Sephiroth. That would be fucking obscene.

Nintendo 3DS

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call – I think I picked this up to play the version of “One Winged Angel” from Advent. Sounds about right *see above gif*

Let’s Plays

Finished

Rakuen by Cryaotic – I finished this before the end of the year. Yet another tearjerker game. I must be a glutton for punishment. I still need to review it, but I talk about it in my Top 10 post.

What Remains of Edith Finch by Cryaotic – The question posed in the title is answered to momentous, poignant effect. Everything about this game was phenomenal: the music, the voice acting, the graphics, the story. I was a bit wary it was going to be frightening, since your character, Edith, is exploring her family’s abandoned home, and there’s one character’s story that lends itself to the horrific, but it’s not that type of game, and what happened to Molly could be chalked up to a child’s imagination (though if that’s the case, what really did happen to her?). There are some questions that aren’t completely answered, but left up to speculation. This was a game that I could’ve played, but watching it was just as satisfying.

Okami by Cryaotic

I know…I’ve been watching a shit ton of Cry’s Let’s Plays, but there’s just something about his voice. Even when he yells, it’s not remotely grating, and, uh, it just kind of sounds good *blush*. He could seriously do ASMR videos. I was attempting to see what kind of face produced that voice, but Cry is apparently very careful to keep details about himself hidden (though there are cosplays of him???) for both social anxiety and privacy reasons, so I have to respect that.

Okami has been compared to Legend of Zelda, and I can certainly see why. I was on the fence about it initially, and I’m still not sure how I feel about the “voices” they used, but the painted aesthetic is both pleasing and functional for the gameplay, as well. I’ll stick with it, especially since it’s Cry who’s doing the playing.

Games Added to Backlog

Cat Quest – The “action RPG” description made me shy away from, but after talking with Drakulus about it, I decided I’ll give it a try.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – This is Drakulus’ professed favorite game and my IRL Eyes of Seraphim has been singing its praises for years. So much so that she’s the person I most associated with it. I was never big on open world RPGs, but oddly enough, it was Super Mario Odyssey that sort of changed my mind on that. While not an RPG, it’s sort of “open world-lite” with its sandbox kingdom effect, and since I’m also interested in Breath of the Wild, it would be a bit hypocritical to say I don’t play open world. I also made a purchase this week that would make me an even bigger hypocrite, but more on that when we get to it.

To the Moon – I had to check and see why the hell I added this. Cry has an LP of it up, but upon looking at the description, I figured it was something I could play on my own. It features two doctors traversing the memories of a dying man to fulfill his last wish. Sounds epic.

Miitopia – Saw this while I was wandering around Best Buy this weekend. It looks cute, and I’m surprised I didn’t add it before.

Phantasy Star Portable 2 – I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Phantasy Star isn’t unknown among my IRL friends! At the NYE party I went to, my friend Chris (also my BFF’s fiance), who runs Nerd-Base, was wearing a Phantasy Star shirt o.O We started talking about it and the Sega Master System, because that’s what he had growing up. One of the best parts of being an adult is realizing that console wars should be left in the childish past. I didn’t know that the second Phantasy Star was out on newer consoles, and if I don’t get to play it anytime soon, perhaps Hungry Goriya will do an LP?? 😉

Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky – Side scrolling RPG. It has a low rating on Grouvee, but so does FFBE and I really like that *shrug* I have Geddy from Nostalgia Trigger to thank for this add, per comment discussions!

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F – Geddy threw this one my way, too. I think it’s a music type game with a 90s anime title 😀

Golf Story – I’ve never heard of a golf (or really any sport) RPG. It sounds cute.

Doki Doki Literature Club – I have this currently on steam. I think I came across a video about how it’s super messed up, or one of my blogger buddies mentioned that. I know I was talking about it with Cheap Boss Attack who has to finish it, too.

Total Games in Backlog: 176
Change from Last Week: +9

Purchased

Doki Doki Literature Club for $0.00 on Steam – As mentioned above, I picked this up on 12/29/17. I should really be concentrating on bringing down my backlog instead of adding more games to my collection, but what can I do when shit is free?

Final Fantasy XV for $31.99 at Best Buy –So I finally pulled the trigger on the latest numbered Final Fantasy this Saturday . I’ve heard so many mixed reviews that I have to play it for myself. CBA loves it and apparently the villain (Ardyn) has a tragic back story, which you all know I’ma sucker for (*cough* Sephiroth *cough* *cough*). Even though I know a major spoiler for the game, I’m not shocked that Squeenix did it, since it seems to be a signature move with them by now. I’ve been listening to the version of “Stand By Me” by Florence + the Machine which is used in the game for weeks now, and I actually didn’t spend any money on in, because gift cards FTW.

Steam Card for $20 at Best Buy – Not technically a video game, but used to obtain video games. Since I could use my gift card to buy it, I bought it. Once I spend $5 on Steam, I’ll have full membership.

Nintendo eShop Card for $50 at Best Buy – Same as above. I had almost $200 in BB gift cards. (TSN’s a little bit spoiled.)

Miscellaneous

Ah shit! I completely forgot to buy that PlayStation 4 cover with my Amazon Gift Cards D: I just remembered it…hold on a second.

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What is this crap?! They all have Cloud on them.

It has my Seph, too, but I want a Cloud free cover. Oh well, I’ll check back in a little bit.

In addition to purchasing a game and digital download cards at Best Buy, I also bought that two year gamer subscription for $30 after I’d paid for everything, but the employee ringing me up was awesome and reversed the transaction so I could get the discount. I only wound up paying an additional $10 for everything, and it’s why I got FFXV for so cheap.

I considered picking up Xenoblade Chronicles 2, but I have a shit ton of RPGs to play already, plus I might be able to borrow it from my local library, which is now loaning games for free! I’m excited because they have RiME. I might grab it next time I’m there. I would’ve bought FFXIV: A Realm Reborn if they’d had it, but they only had Stormblood, and you need to have ARR first.

I was going to do this at the end of this update post, but I decided it should be its own separate thing. More than likely by the end of the week I’ll have my 2018 plans post up, so I can discuss (re: figure out) what I’m going to work on in gaming this year. I want to try to streamline my game playing like I have my book reading with me playing just one long term game and two or three smaller ones. As always I love suggestions, and I pretty much own all of the systems save the Wii U and Xbone, the latter of which I don’t think I need (though if you’re giving one away, I’m not going to say, “No,” lol).

Oh I never did a “What Should I Buy Post,” did I? I think because I just wound up going to Best Buy and using my Amazon GCs for books and a tiny desk cycle. I feel like I bought something else. I kind of wasn’t paying attention, because I didn’t have to spend actual money. You can still give me suggestions like I said above, and maybe I’ll make a matrix of sorts…then populate it with tall, beautiful silver haired men…I mean, uh, I’ll make a list of potential games to purchase o.O

Do you have some gift card goodness to share? Have you added more to your backlog in the new year? Have you already posted your wrap-up plan ahead articles? Let’s discuss gaming shenanigans in the comments!

27 thoughts on “The State of the Gamer: 1/9/18”

It looks like you’ve got a lot on your gaming plate these days, but I’m glad to hear you got some excellent deals on what appear to be some excellent games. I keep hearing the name Doki Doki Literature Club but know absolutely nothing about it. I am going to have to start looking into new games one of these days.

This is the first I’m hearing about these PSP Phantasy Star games. I will definitely check into them! Thanks for the heads up. I hope your IRL friends start to know a bit more about the series soon, but at least you had a cool SMS-loving friend to chat with at the party! I’ve got Phantasy Star 2-4 to get through on the Genesis at some point as well. There’s lots more for me to experience, thankfully!

I didn’t know anything about it either until I saw people blogging about it, and there’s even a theory video about it on YouTube! I figured I needed to check this out so I know waht the hype is about.

I’m happy I had an SMS loving friend to show me what I missed out on in my youth, too! Cheap Boss Attack commented on another of my posts saying that there’s a Sonic game for the PS3 that has ALL of the Phantasy Stars. I’m really curious about the remakes of it

I have heard of this Sega compilation before, but I’m not sure if they’re remakes. I think it’s a compilation of all of the original games, but I might be mistaken. Either way, I think it’d be a wonderful collection to have. I have a PC collection that I bought exclusively to play Toejam and Earl: Panic on Funkotron, but it also has other great games like Shining Force.

I did play Rakuen recently, which was made in RPG Maker like To the Moon. I liked it a lot; I thought it tackled the emotional story more tactfully than most games. Now that I think about it, none of the RPG Maker games I’ve played so far are actually RPGs.

That makes me super happy to hear! Final Fantasy can be such a polarizing series. I know my husband and I weren’t overly fond of the demo, and I’m a turn based RPG fan, so I haven’t been happy with Squeenix’s shift towards more action based, especially when turn based games are still being made and seem still popular. It bummed me out about the FFVII Remake for like a year, but I guess I have to try to stop being a grump an d give it a try, though…I did play Type-0 and really wasn’t fond of the battle system. It was more of the lack of character development that did me in with that, but I’ve heard FFXV doesn’t have that problem. If a story is compelling enough I can usually figure my way around the gameplay and if not there’s always the Let’s Play option.

Hehe, Sephiroth is probably the most complicated villain and arguably character in Squeenix history ♥

I also wasn’t a fan of Type-0 as well, I couldn’t get into it; the characters didn’t stand out well enough for me to care about. Not so with the guys from XV. They remind me of the days when I used to hang out with my close friends, before life pulled us apart.

The battle system is pretty simple, and there’s an option to use a Wait Mode to make combat feel more turn-based! You’ll see what I mean when you play it yourself. I also recommend you go through the battle tutorial before starting, it really helps!

And yes, I’m in full agreement with you about Sephiroth! His complexity could fill textbooks.🤔

That’s how I felt about Type-0; it’s like they did nothing with character development, and it suffered from the same issue I had with Chrono Cross, too many characters with not enough plot for them. Type-0 was a bit different as I think they *could* have provided enough plot, but their focus seemed to be more on the missions you were sent on. My thing though is with Final Fantasy it’s never just about the missions and fighting. Those are a means to an end, and while they can be fun/satisfying, there’s always a much bigger and much more personal story. The game had the pieces, but none of the substance, and I’m happy that XV isn’t like that at all. Makes me look forward to playing it all the more!

Whoohoo! I’m happy with that, because sometimes I just want to experience the story without having to worry about being a n00b with battle tactics hehe.

You’ll really be glad you got a Steam account when the summer sale happens. A lot of stuff goes 70-90% off, so you could get a couple of great titles for a few dollars easy. If you can’t wait that long, I highly recommend any of the Ys games. They’re great JRPGs a lot of people miss out on because they’re not called Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, or Chrono Trigger. That said, during the summer sale they often go ridiculously cheap. Still, Ys Origin (The prequel game) is well worth full price, and has a ton of replay value since it takes three campaigns to experience the whole story.

I had one before, BUT apparently now you have to spend at least $5 to have full access to everything, so I can’t friend anyone until I do that. Steam Summer Sales are famous throughout the land. Even before I had an account, I looked into getting one due to them, and it was last year’s that made me finally do it. I haven’t played anything on there yet, but I have Mobius Final Fantasy and Doki Doki Literature, the laterr of which I want to try to play in one shot.

I actually have been playing more non-Final Fantasy JRPGs, and while FF will always been my favorite I’m really enjoying stuff like Etrian Odyssey V, which I’m playing right now. It’s different and there really isn’t much character development, but I still like it and plan to play more of the series.

I know you have a PS3, so if you manage to find a copy of Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection it has all 4 Phantasy Star games, Shining Force stuff, and lots of other Genesis classics. I picked it up years ago for a mere $20! Well worth it.

Good luck with the final part of Mario Odyssey. I finished it recently and plan to review it in the not too distant future. Cat Quest and MiiTopia are good games if you want to play RPGs that aren’t too taxing.

I hate when I lose motivation to pick something up, but that happens when I’m at a part I’m having trouble with. I’m going to try to figure it out myself before turning to ye olde Google for tips. I’m looking forward to your review! That’s good to hear about Cat Quest and Miitopia. I’m playing an RPG right now that’s exploration based as opposed to story base, and it’s a nice deviation from my norm.

I’ve been playing with the idea of getting an Xbone myself, but much like you, I came to the conclusion that I don’t really need one. If you wait long enough, it seems most every Xbox exclusive I’m interested in ends up coming out on PC. Killer Instinct released on PC a couple of years ago, Cuphead came out on both platforms simultaneously, Dead Rising gets thrown on PC, etc. The only one I can think of that’s truly Xbone exclusive is Sunset Overdrive, and I can live without that.

Exactly! Right now I’m happy with my 360, and I have a bunch of RPGs to play for that. I do like some of the rhythm games on the Xbone, but I have plenty to play on my other consoles, so again it would just be extraneous.

I haven’t summoned a unit in over a month. I must have at least 20 rare tickets by now.

Okay…so I googled him, because of course I did. He DOES have a page on the FFBE wiki, but there’s a note about unreleased content, so I think he’s planned as a summon, but isn’t available yet. He’s already released in Japan D: We never get to have nice things!